Spindle press

ABSTRACT

A spindle press (1) comprises a housing (3) with an upper part (2) and a lower part (5). A press spindle (16) is supported with an upper bearing (14) in a cover (11) of the upper part (2) and with a lower bearing (19) in the lower part (5) so as to be rotatable. The press spindle (16) comprises a hollow spindle body (27) with perforations (38) for pressed out fluid, compressor wings (56) and worm wings (57) being placed on the spindle body (27) externally. Interruptors (26), which are fastened at the housing (3), extend between these wings in a plurality of axial planes. The housing comprises a screen casing (22) permeable for the pressed out fluid and also a spray casing (21) at a distance outside of the latter. The pressed out fluid is guided away through a dewatering arrangement (30) of the lower part (5). The lower part (5) rests on a vertical frame (7) which encloses a telescoping drive pipe (52) and, further down, a drive arrangement (12) which drives the drive pipe (52) in a rotating manner. The drive pipe (52) is connected with the spindle body (27) within the lower bearing (19).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a spindle press. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to a vertically arranged spindle press forpressing put fluid from a material, for example sugar beet pulp, whichhas a housing with an upper part including a spray casing and a screencasing forming an annular space for guiding away pressed out fluidtherebetween, and also a lower part; a press spindle rotatably supportedin the housing by upper and lower bearings, dewatering means connectedwith the annular space between the casings and with the interior of thehollow press spindle, filling means for feeding the material to bepressed into the upper part, and a drive which includes drive means anda drive pipe rotatable by the drive means and rotating the spindle.

In a known spindle press of this type (DE-OS No. 26 41 597), which isconstructed as a beet pulp press, the drive pipe 6 is constructed as onepiece and has a disadvantageously large length, since the lower part 10,13 has a disadvantageously large overall height. An upper bearing of thespindle body 1 is not disclosed. The lower bearing 8 is located very lowbelow the spindle body 1 at the lower end of the lower part 10, 13 andis connected with a bearing ring 7 which is fastened approximately atthe longitudinal center of the drive pipe 6. Thus, the upper half of thedrive pipe 6 is loaded not only by the driving torque, but also, inaddition, by alternating axial forces from the inherent weight and theoperation of the press spindle, including the material to be pressed.Therefore, at least this upper half must be laid out in acorrespondingly more expensive manner. With respect to maintenance,assembly and repair, it is disadvantageous that the clearing wings 23are fastened at the drive pipe 6. Another disadvantage, which alsocauses increased expenditure with respect to construction, is thecollection and removal of the pressed out fluid in the lower part 10, 13in two planes 27, 28 and 31, 32, 33 which are at a distance from oneanother in the axial direction, and the collection and removal of thepressed material in a third vertical plane 22, 23. Also, the step-upgear unit 5 of the drive arrangement is held so as to be fixed againstrelative rotation. Repairs, assembly and maintenance of the entire lowerpress area from the step-up gear unit 5 to the spindle body 1 arecomplicated and costly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention has the object of facilitating maintenance, assembly andrepair in the press area below the upper part of the housing, andreducing the load of the drive arrangement and the drive pipe.

In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparenthereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, brieflystated, in that the drive pipe has an upper part and a lower part whichcan be telescoped one inside the other and which are connected with oneanother by means of a coupling. Maintenance, assembly and repair in thelower press area down to the drive arrangement are facilitated in thateither the upper pipe or the lower pipe are telescoped out of the workzone relative to the other part of the drive pipe. The couplingcompensates for possible alignment errors and/or axial relativemovements of the upper pipe and lower pipe which can occur in operation,e.g. because of thermal expansions. Thanks to the coupling, the upperpipe and lower pipe are freed from all external loads with the exceptionof the transmission of torque. These pipe parts can therefore beconstructed so as to be relatively thin-walled. In addition, the drivearrangement is freed from axial forces, which could otherwise result,e.g. due to temperature expansions in the drive pipe, by means of thetelescoping of the drive pipe.

Particularly simple axial relative movements of the upper pipe and thelower pipe, e.g. which serve for the the telescoping of these pipe partsor are a result of thermal expansions and operating deformations, aremade possible with the tooth coupling including a plurality of teethwhich are arranged radially between the upper pipe and the lower pipe.

The upper pipe can be supported in a particularly simple manner in itstelescoped, lowest position by means of stops provided on the lower pipeat the bottom for supporting the upper pipe.

A particularly simple, operationally reliable and inexpensive connectionof the lower pipe with the drive arrangement results in which the lowerpipe is mounted on the bottom of a drive connection piece of the drivemeans, and a drive connection piece is supported externally on a drivebearing which is coaxial with the drive pipe. The drive bearing can beconstructed, for example, as a sturdy ball bearing slewing connection.The drive connection piece can support a toothed ring, at least onepinion of a respective drive of the drive arrangement meshing with thistoothed ring. A construction in which the pinion is overhung at therespective drive is particularly reliable in operation.

Maintenance, assembly and repair work, particularly at the drivearrangement, can be carried out in a particularly simple and rapidmanner when externally on the drive pipe travelling paths can beprovided for travelling rollers of a crane which is arranged above thedrive means. The traveling paths preferably extend along the entirecircumference of the drive pipe so that the crane has a work angle areaof 360°.

It is possible that the crane is movable into a rest position out ofcontact with the travelling paths. In this case there is sparing of thetraveling paths and the traveling mechanism of the crane when the latteris not required. For example, the crane can be raised into its restposition at the lower part of the housing.

In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the lowerbearing is formed as a ball bearing slewing connection whose outer ringis mounted on the lower part of the housing and whose inner ring ismounted on a base connection piece of the base of the spindle body. Inthis case, the lower bearing is easily accessible for all purposes andcan be accommodated in an advantageous manner with respect toconstruction. The particular arrangement of the lower bearing reducesthe supported length of the press spindle to a minimum. Moreover, theupper pipe can be assembled so as to be completely free of the lowerbearing with respect to the base connection piece of the spindle body.

Still another feature of the present invention is that the lower part ofthe housing rests on a vertical frame so as to be fixed from rotation,and the vertical frame encloses the drive parts and the drive means.This construction is simple, accessible from all sides and reliable inoperation. The drive arrangement can be arranged on the floor or underthe floor and is easily accessible in all cases.

A further feature of the present invention is that a base connectionpiece of a base of the spindle body extend in an upward direction withits ring beyond the base, the ring is sealed at its stop by a cover, afirst annular duct for receiving pressed out fluid is formed between therings, the base and a side wall of the spindle body, and the base hasoutlet connection pieces which are arranged on a circle concentric tothe longitudinal axis of the press. These features result in a smoothcollection and removal of the pressed out fluid which has penetratedinto the spindle body. The base of the annular duct can be inclined inthe direction of the outlet connection pieces in order to facilitate thedrainage of the fluid. In a critical case, it is also possible toprovide only one such outlet connection piece.

The cover can be provided with at least one opening which is closed bymeans of a lock via a labyrinth gap seal. This make it possible on theone hand for maintenance personnel to climb through the opening and, onthe other hand, offer the possibility of an emergency dewatering in caseof the occurrence of a backup of pressed out fluid in the interior ofthe spindle body. In this case, the fluid would penetrate through thelabyrinth gap seal and would flow out through the drive pipe and a drainin the foundation.

The dewatering means includes at a distance below the base and radiallyoutside the drive pipe an annular plate of the lower part of the housingand a plurality of annular walls arranged at a distance from one anotherconcentrically to the longitudinal axis of the press and tightlyconnected with the annular plate. A first annular wall and a secondannular wall extend until the vicinity of the base and define a secondannular duct therebetween for receiving a lower end of the outletconnection pieces. The third annular wall extends in a circumferentialcontact with the screen casing while a fourth annular wall extends in acloser circumferential contact with the spray casing to form a thirdannular duct between the third and fourth annular walls. At least oneoutlet opening is provided between the first and second annular wallsand between the third and fourth annular walls. With this feature asecure removal of the pressed out fluid from the upper part of thehousing, on the one hand, and from the press spindle on the other handis provided for within a compact space in the lower part of the housing.The base of the second annular duct and the third annular duct ispreferably inclined in the direction of the outlet openings in order toachieve a more rapid and complete drainage of the pressed out fluid. Anextremely low overall height and great rigidity of the lower part of thehousing is a particular advantage of this manner of construction.

Each outlet opening can be connected with a connecting pipe below theannular plate via an intermediate connection piece. In such aconstruction, the pressed out fluid is guided out of the spindle pressin an overseeable manner.

At least one line which opens in a downward direction can open in theupper region into the second annular duct and third annular duct. Thelines are used on the one hand for the emergency dewatering of thesecond and third annular ducts in case the level of the pressed outfluid in the latter should rise too high. This can occur particularlywhen the spindle press is put into operation. Moreover, the lines serveas dispensing lines for introducing a foam inhibitor in the second andthird annular ducts in case foam formation should occur therein becauseof a relatively high drip level of the pressed out fluid within thespindle press. The lines are open at the bottom so that no pressed outfluid flowing down from the top can flow in.

The second annular wall and the third annular wall define therebetween afourth annular duct for receiving the pressed pulp. At least oneclearing ring fastened on the spindle can revolve in the fourth annularduct. The annular plate can include in the area of the fourth annularduct at least one outage opening for the pressed pulp, which outageopening opens into a conveyor device. With this construction aneffective mechanism for removing the pressed material from the lowerpart of the housing is provided in a minimum of space.

The upper end of the spindle is enclosed at a distance radially from itwith a fifth annular wall which is fastened to the screen casing byouter web plates, and an annular seal is provided between the spindlebody and the fifth annular wall. The annular space between the screencasing and the fifth annular wall serves for receiving the material tobe pressed and is closed in a tight manner by means of an annular plate.In such a construction, a very effective filling area of the spindlepress is provided. The material to be pressed can be introduced into theannular space in any desired manner, known per se.

The upper bearing is arranged on the upper part of the housing and isadjustable in the radial direction relative to the upper part by meansof an adjusting arrangement. In this case, the upper bearing can becentered easily and securely relative to the housing. The upper bearingcan comprise a self-aligning roller bearing, for example. Itsarrangement at the upper part brings about a relatively small overallheight of the entire spindle press.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a spindle press arranged ina vertically upright manner, wherein a part is broken away in thelongitudinal direction,

FIG. 2 shows the view according to line II--II in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a section from the head area of FIG. 1 in an enlargedmanner,

FIG. 4 shows the detail IV according to FIG. 3 in an enlarged manner,

FIG. 5 shows the view according to line V--V in FIG. 1 in enlargedmanner and without the press spindle,

FIG. 6 shows a detail in the left-hand central area of FIG. 1 in anenlarged manner,

FIG. 7 shows a view according to line VII--VII in FIG. 6, but only ofthe lower part of the housing and in a reduced manner,

FIG. 8 shows a sectional view according to line VIII--VIII in FIG. 7 inan enlarged manner and

FIG. 9 shows a detail on the right-hand side in the lower third of FIG.1 in an enlarged manner.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a spindle press 1 for pressing out fluid from sugar beetpulp, the spindle press 1 being arranged so as to be vertically upright.The spindle press 1 comprises a circular cylindrical upper part 2 of ahousing 3. Also making up a part of the housing 3, in addition, is alower part 5 which is screwed together with the upper part 2 along aplane 4. The lower part 5 is screwed again with a vertical frame 7 alonga plane 6, the vertical frame 7 being anchored in a foundation 8 on theground 9.

A cover 11, which is provided with manholes 12 further in in the radialdirection and with observation openings 13 further outward, is screwedtogether with the upper part 2 along a plane 10. The cover 11 carries anupper bearing 14 for a shaft end 15 of a press spindle 16 in its center,the upper bearing 14 being constructed as a self-aligning rollerbearing. The cover 11 is enclosed by a circulating railing 17.

The press spindle 16 is supported at the bottom so as to be rotatable ina lower bearing 19 of the lower part 5. The lower bearing 19 isconstructed as a ball bearing slewing connection, and is drivable so asto rotate in a manner described below by means of a drive arrangement 20which is arranged at the bottom in the vertical frame 7.

The upper part 2 of the housing 3 comprises a spray casing 21, which isdivided into axially successive sections, and a screen casing 22 whichis arranged within the spray casing 21 and is likewise divided intoaxially successive sections. An annular space 23 for guiding off fluidis provided between the spray casing 21 and the screen casing 22, thefluid is pressed out of the sugar beet pulp and passes outward throughthe screen casing 22 through screen holes, not shown. The screen casing22 is provided with such screen holes on its entire effective axiallength. The screen casing 22 is supported externally at supporting rings24 which are arranged at an axial distance from one another and are heldin turn by comb-like plates 25. The plates 25 extend coaxially, arearranged at a distance from one another in the circumferential directionand are fastened at an inner surface of the spray casing 21 (see alsoFIG. 5). Interruptors 26, which extend radially inward until thevicinity of a spindle body 27, are inserted in receiving openings of theupper part 2 from the outside in a plurality of vertical planes. Theradial dimensioning of the interruptors 26 decreases from the top to thebottom in the same manner as the cross-sectional surface area of thespindle body 27 increases from an upper feed side 28 to a lower outletside 29.

The annular space 23 is connected with a dewatering arrangement 30 inthe lower part 5.

An upper end area of the spindle body 27 is enclosed by a fifth annularwall 31 at a distance in the radial direction, which annular wall 31 isfastened at the screen casing 22 via outer web plates 32 (see FIG. 5).An annular seal 33, which prevents the material to be pressed and thefluid from penetrating up into a wedge-shaped annular space 34 betweenthe upper end area of the spindle body 27 and the fifth annular wall 31,is provided between the spindle body 27 and the fifth annular wall 31.FIG. 4 shows details of the annular seal 33. An annular space 35 betweenthe screen casing 22 and the fifth annular wall 31 serves to receive thematerial to be pressed, in this case, the wet pulp, and is tightlysealed at the top by means of an annular plate 36.

A work platform 37 which extends along approximately a third of thecircumference is fastened at the outside of the upper part 2 (see FIG.2).

The spindle body 27 is hollow and is provided with perforations 38 belowthe annular seal 33. The perforations 38 allow pressed out fluid to passinto an interior space 39 of the spindle body 27 and to flow downwardtherein. The interior space 39 ends at the bottom in a first annularduct 40 which is open at the top. The first annular duct 40 is definedby means of an annular base 41 of the spindle body 27, a ring 42 of acentral base connection piece 43 of the spindle body 27, which ring 42extends upward beyond the base 41, and a side wall 44 of the spindlebody 27. The base 41 comprises outlet connection pieces 46 which arearranged on a circle which is concentric with the longitudinal axis 45of the spindle press 1. Plates 47 and 48, which are shaped liketruncated cones, are inserted in the first annular duct 40 and directthe pressed out fluid collected in the first annular duct 40 to theoutlet connection pieces 46.

The ring 42 is closed at the top by means of a cover 49. The cover 49comprises an opening 51 which is closed by means of a lock 50 via alabyrinth gap seal (see FIG. 6). The opening 51 serves, on the one hand,as a manhole and, on the other hand, for emergency dewatering in case abackup of pressed out fluid should occur in the interior space 39. Thisfluid then overcomes the labyrinth gap seal between the lock 50 and theopening 51 and flows downward through the base connection piece 43 and adrive pipe 52, which is flanged on at its lower side, and then through acorresponding central opening 53 of the drive arrangement 20 until thisfluid finally arrives in an outlet 54 of the foundation 8.

Manholes 55 are provided in the spindle body 27 at the top. Below theannular seal 33, the spindle body 27 carries a plurality of compressorwings 56 in a horizontal plane, which compressor wings 56 aredistributed along the circumference and lead to a precompression of thematerial to be pressed. The spindle body 27 also carries worm wings 57which extend outward at least approximately in contact with the screencasing 22 and whose slope and axial distance from one another decreasefrom the feed side 28 to the outlet side 29.

The spindle body 27 is constructed of axially successive sections andscrewed together and, with the circular cylindrical screen casing 22,defines an annular space 58 which decreases in diameter in a downwarddirection and receives the material to be pressed. The pressed pulpexits from the annular space 58, past a retaining ring 59, which isscrewed on at the lower side of the base 41 and projects radiallyoutward over the side wall 44, into a fourth annular duct 60 of thelower part 5 (see FIGS. 6 to 8).

A lower end of the outlet connection pieces 46 opens into a secondannular duct 61 of the lower part 5. In a similar manner, the annularspace 23 opens into a third annular duct 62 of the lower part 5 (seeFIGS. 6 to 8). The second annular duct 61 and the third annular duct 62,as well as the fourth annular duct 60, are defined at the bottom by anannular plate 63. The annular plate 63 comprises outlet openings 64 and65 for pressed out fluid, each of which is connected with a collectingpipe 68 via an intermediate connection piece 66 and 67 fastened belowthe annular plate 63.

The annular plate 63 is also provided in the area of the fourth annularduct 60 with two fall-out openings 69 for the pressed pulp, whichfall-out openings 69 are arranged so as to lie opposite one anotherdiametrically. A plurality of clearing wings 70, which feed the pressedpulp to the fall-out openings 69 and are fastened at the spindle body 27at the bottom, revolve within the fourth annular duct 60 receiving thepressed pulp. A fall shaft 71, which guides the pressed pulp away forfurther use, is connected at each fall-out opening 69 at the bottom.

FIG. 1 shows the spindle press 1 in two sectional planes which are at aright angle to one another with reference to the longitudinal axis 45.This is clear from FIG. 7.

Two lines 72 and 73, which are arranged so as to lie opposite oneanother diametrically and open downward in the annular duct 61, 62, openinto the second annular duct 61 and the third annular duct 62respectively in its upper area. If the fluid level in the annular ducts61, 62 rises too high, particularly when starting the spindle press, thelines 72, 73 serve for emergency dewatering. A foam inhibitor can flowthrough the lines 72, 73 in the opposite direction and can be added tothe fluid in the annular ducts 61, 62 in this way.

The vertical frame 7 is constructed from a braced, very rigid frameworkand encloses the drive arrangement 20 and the drive pipe 52.

The drive pipe 52 comprises an upper pipe 74 and a lower pipe 75 whichcan telescope within one another and are connected with one another bymeans of a coupling 76. The coupling 76 is constructed as a toothcoupling whose teeth are arranged radially between the upper pipe 74 andthe lower pipe 75. The lower pipe 75 is provided at the bottom withstops 77 upon which the upper pipe 74, which is telescoped relative tothe lower pipe 75, can be supported. For this purpose, the screwconnection of the upper pipe 74 with the base connection piece 43 isloosened. Next, the upper pipe 74, which is supported in a suitablemanner, telescopes in a downward direction into the lower pipe 75. In sodoing, the teeth of the tooth coupling 76 disengage from one anotheraxially. Finally, the teeth of the upper pipe 74 come to rest on thestops 77 of the lower pipe 75. The lower bearing 19, in particular, isthen easily accessible for maintenance and repair. In the reversemanner, the upper pipe 74 is telescoped out of the lower pipe 75 againafter the maintenance and repair work is terminated and is mounted atits place shown in FIG. 1.

The lower pipe 75 is screwed together at the bottom with a driveconnection piece 78 of the drive arrangement. If this screw connectionis loosened, the lower pipe 75 can be telescoped in an upward directionrelative to the upper pipe 74 in an analogous manner and can remainthere until maintenance or repair work is concluded in the area of thedrive arrangement 20.

The drive connection piece 78 is supported externally at a drive bearing79 which is coaxial to the drive pipe 52 and carries a toothed ring 80with teeth which face outward. Pinions 81 of drives 82 engage in theteeth. The drives 82 extend upward outside of the drive pipe 52 in sucha way as to economize on overall length. As many drives 82 as are neededto provide the torque required for the rotational drive of the pressspindle 16 are arranged around the toothed ring 80.

Traveling paths 83, 84 and 85 for traveling rollers 86, 87 and 88 of acrane 89 arranged above the drive arrangement 20 are provided externallyat the drive pipe 52, which traveling paths 83, 84 and 85 extend aroundthe entire circumference (see also FIG. 9). Two of the traveling rollers86 to 88 are respectively provided at a distance from one another in thecircumferential direction and are supported at a supporting frame 90 ofthe crane 89 so as to be rotatable. An overhang beam 91 of the crane 89extends horizontally from the supporting frame 90, a traveling trolley92 with a load hook 93 being drivable on the overhang beam 91 in amanner known per se. Each of the drives 82 can be installed and removedwith the load hook 93 by means of a ring bolt 94.

If the crane 89 is not needed, it can be lifted out of the travelingpaths 83 to 85 into an upper rest position with a hoist 95 which isfastened at the lower part 5 and is indicated in FIG. 1 in dashed lines.

FIG. 2 shows the top view of the spindle press 1 according to FIG. 1.The wet pulp is introduced into a filling connection piece 98 extendingsubstantially tangentially relative to the upper part 2 in the directionof arrow 96 by means of a conveyor worm 97, which is only partiallyindicated. The filling connection piece 98 opens into the annular space35 above the compressor wings 56 (FIG. 1). The working platform 37facilitates work in the area of the conveyor worm 97 and the fillingconnection piece 98. According to FIG. 3, a stiffening ring 99 of thefifth annular wall 31 extends into the annular space 34.

A bearing bush 101 with radial play is inserted in a central opening 100of the cover 11. The bearing bush 101 and, accordingly, the upper end ofthe press spindle 16 can be adjusted in the radial direction with anadjusting arrangement 102. The adjusting arrangement 102 comprisesadjusting screws 104 which are screwed into a dome 103 of the cover 11,distributed along the circumference, and extend in the radial directionin contact with the bearing bush 101 and are secured in the desiredradial position by means of a counternut 105.

The spindle body 27 is provided with a ring of dewatering holes 106 in ahorizontal plane at the upper end of the annular seal 33 (see FIG. 4),through which condensation, which can form in the wedge-shaped annularspace 34 and above the spindle body 27, can flow off into the interiorspace 39. The bearing bush 101 is carefully sealed relative to a ring108 by means of a seal 107, the ring 108 being placed on the shaft end 5in a tight manner, so that no lubricant can leak downward from the upperbearing 14.

In FIG. 4, a slide ring 109 of stainless steel is welded on inside thefifth annular wall 31 at the bottom. The annular seal 33, which canconsist of the plastics material known under the trade name Teflon, forexample, rests at the slide ring 109 at the inside. The annular seal 33seals the annular space 58 relative to the wedge-shaped annular space 34and within certain limits allows axial relative movements of the pressspindle 16 relative to the upper part 2. In particular, the annular seal33 prevents the material to be pressed and/or the fluid from reachingthe annular space 34 from the annular space 58.

The annular seal 33 is constructed at the bottom in a dovetail mannerand is secured in a circumferential groove of a retainer ring 111 of thespindle body 27 with countersunk screws 110. An outer continuation 112of each dewatering hole 106 in the retainer ring 111 opens outexternally at the lowest place on the wedge-shaped annular space 34, soas to ensure that fluid is removed from the latter into the interiorspace 39 in a complete and continuous manner.

FIG. 5 shows details of the construction of the upper end of the upperpart 2. An assembly flange 113, which adjoins the plane 10 (FIG. 1), iswelded on at the spray casing 21 at the top and externally.

FIG. 6 shows the construction of the annular ducts 60 to 62 in aparticularly clear manner. The second annular duct 61 and the thirdannular duct 62 are component parts of the dewatering arrangement 30.

The second annular duct 61 is defined by means of a first annular wall114 and a second annular wall 115 arranged outside the latter at adistance, which are concentric with the longitudinal axis 45 andconnected in a tight manner with the annular plate 63 by means ofwelding and extend until the vicinity of the base 41 of the spindle body27.

In a similar manner, the third annular duct 62 is defined by means of athird annular wall 116 and a fourth annular wall 117 arranged at adistance radially outside the latter, which are concentric to thelongitudinal axis 45 and are likewise connected in a tight manner withthe annular plate 63 by means of welding. The third annular wall 116extends in circumferential contact with the screen casing 22. The fourthannular wall 117 extends effectively in tight circumferential contactwith the spray casing 21, wherein each of these elements is welded on atan outwardly extending assembly flange, the plane 4 being comprisedbetween the latter.

In both the second annular duct 61 and the third annular duct 62, radialweb plates 118 and 119 are welded in below the upper end for the purposeof strengthening (see also FIG. 7). The second annular duct 61 and thethird annular duct 62 are defined at the bottom by means of a base plate120 and 121 which is welded in in a tight manner between the adjacentannular walls 114, 115 and 116, 117 and drops from the highest pointshown in FIG. 6 to the outlet openings 64, 65 (FIGS. 7 and 8). Thus, inFIG. 6, each of the base plates 120, 121 are at an equal distance 122from the annular plate 63.

The portion of the line 73 located below the annular plate 63 isindicated in dash-dot lines in FIG. 6, since it lies above the drawingplane (see FIG. 7).

According to FIG. 6, an annular connection piece 123, in which the lock50 is inserted with play, is welded on the cover 49 at the top outsidethe opening 51. A labyrinth gap seal is accordingly provided, by meansof which pressed out fluid can flow downward out of the interior space39 through the base connection piece 43 and the drive pipe 52 in case ofemergency.

FIG. 7 shows that the dewatering arrangement 30 comprises two collectingpipes 68 which are arranged so as to be diametrically opposite oneanother. Although they are not shown in FIG. 7, the lines 72, 73 arealso present in a two-fold manner and are arranged diametricallyopposite one another. Thus, the foam inhibitor can be fed through thelines 72, 73 into the places in the annular ducts 61, 62, which placesare the highest in terms of distance 122 and are shown in FIG. 6 andfunction to a certain extent as "divides", and can exert its full effecton the subsequent respective flow off path along a quarter circle.

In addition, two diametrically opposite fall-out openings 69 areprovided for the pressed pulp, although they are not seen in FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 shows individual parts of the dewatering arrangement 30 in aparticularly clear manner. A connection plate 124, which is welded on atthe lower part 5 at the bottom and to which the hoist 95 is fastened,can also be seen.

A similar connection plate 125 is welded on at the crane 89 at the topaccording to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 also shows the construction and arrangementof the traveling paths 83 to 85 and traveling rollers 86 to 88 indetail.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofconstructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in avertical spindle press, it is not intended to be limited to the detailsshown, since various modifications and structural changes may be madewithout departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims:
 1. A vertical spindle press forpressing out fluid from a material, such as sugar beet pulp, comprisinga housing having a spray casing and a screen casing which is arrangedwithin said spray casing so as to form an annular space therebetween;dewatering means connected with said annular space between said casings;a hollow spindle rotatable in said housing, forming with said screencasing an outlet annular gap for pressed material and being providedwith a plurality of worm wings which extend outwardly substantially incontact with said screen casing, said hollow spindle having perforationsfor pressed out fluid and an interior space communicating with saiddewatering means; filling means for feeding a material to be pressedinto said housing; and a drive for driving said spindle in rotation andincluding drive means and a drive pipe which is driven by said drivemeans and drives said spindle from below, said drive pipe including anupper pipe member and a lower pipe member which are connected with oneanother and can be telescoped one inside the other and a coupling forconnecting said upper pipe member and said lower pipe member with oneanother, said lower pipe member having a bottom region and is providedwith a stop at said bottom region for supporting said upper pipe memberupon telescoping in said upper pipe member downwardly relative to saidlower pipe member.
 2. A spindle press as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid casing has an upper feed side and a lower outlet side, said spindlehaving a cross-section which increases downwardly from said upper feedside to said lower outlet side, said worm wings having a slope and anaxial distance from one another which decrease from said upper feed sideto said lower outlet side.
 3. A spindle press as defined in claim 1,wherein said drive means includes a drive bearing arranged coaxiallywith said drive pipe and a drive connection piece supported externallyon said drive bearing, said lower pipe member having a bottom regionwhich is mounted on said drive connection piece.
 4. A spindle press asdefined in claim 1; and further comprising a vertical frame, saidhousing having an upper part and a lower part, said lower part of saidhousing resting on said vertical frame so as to be fixed from rotation,said vertical frame enclosing said drive pipe and said drive means.
 5. Aspindle press as defined in claim 1, wherein said stop provided on saidlower pipe member includes a plurality of stop members.
 6. A verticalspindle press for pressing out fluid from a material, such as sugar beetpulp, comprising a housing having a spray casing and a screen casingwhich is arranged within said spray casing so as to form an annularspace therebetween; dewatering means connected with said annular spacebetween said casings; a hollow spindle rotatable in said housing,forming with said screen casing an outlet annular gap for pressedmaterial and being provided with a plurality of worm wings which extendoutwardly substantially in contact with said screen casing, said hollowspindle having perforations for pressed out fluid and an interior spacecommunicating with said dewatering means; filling means for feeding amaterial to be pressed into said housing; a drive for driving saidspindle in rotation and including drive means and a drive pipe which isdriven by said drive means and drives said spindle from below, saiddrive pipe including an upper pipe member and a lower pipe member whichare connected with one another and can be telescoped one inside theother and a coupling for connecting said upper pipe member and saidlower pipe member with one another; and a crane for installing andremoving said drive means, said crane being provided with a plurality oftravelling rollers and arranged above said drive means, said drive pipebeing provided with a plurality of travelling paths for said travellingrollers of said crane, said travelling paths being arranged externallyon said drive pipe and extending in a circumferential direction.
 7. Aspindle press as defined in claim 6, wherein said crane is movable intoa rest position out of contact with said travelling paths of said drivepipe.
 8. A vertical spindle press for pressing out fluid from amaterial, such as sugar beet pulp, comprising a housing having a spraycasing and a screen casing which is arranged within said spray casing soas to form an annular space therebetween; dewatering means connectedwith said annular space between said casings; a hollow spindle rotatablein said housing, forming with said screen casing an outlet annular gapfor pressing material and being provided with a plurality of worm wingswhich extend outwardly substantially in contact with said screen casing,said hollow spindle having perforations for pressed out fluid and aninterior space communicating with said dewatering means; filling meansfor feeding a material to be pressed into said housing; a drive fordriving said spindle in rotation and including drive means and a drivepipe which is driven by said drive means and drives said spindle frombelow, said drive pipe including an upper pipe member and a lower pipememeber which are connected with one another and can be telescoped oneinside the other and a coupling for connecting said upper pipe memberand said lower pipe member with one another; and an upper bearing and alower bearing for rotatably supporting said spindle, said housing havingan upper part and a lower part, said spindle having a base with a baseconnection piece, said lower bearing being formed as a ball bearingslewing connection with an outer ring mounted on said lower part of saidhousing and an inner ring mounted on said base connection piece.
 9. Avertical spindle press for pressing out fluid from a material, such assugar beet pulp, comprising a housing having a spray casing and a screencasing which is arranged within said spray casing so as to form anannular space therebetween; dewatering means connected with said annularspace between said casings; a hollow spindle rotatable in said housing,forming with said screen casing an outlet annular gap for pressedmaterial and being provided with a plurality of worm wings which extendoutwardly substantially in contact with said screen casing, said hollowspindle having perforations for pressed out fluid and an interior spacecommunicating with said dewatering means; filling means for feeding amaterial to be pressed into said housing; and a drive for driving saidspindle in rotation and including drive means and a drive pipe which isdriven by said drive means and drives said spindle from below, saiddrive pipe including an upper pipe member and a lower pipe member whichare connected with one another and can be telescoped one inside theother and a coupling for connecting said upper pipe member and saidlower pipe member with one another, said spindle having a side wall anda base with a base connection piece, said base connection pieceincluding a ring which extends upwardly beyond said base and is sealedat its top, said ring together with said base and said side walldefining a first annular duct which is formed for receiving pressed outfluid and opens upwardly.
 10. A spindle press as defined in claim 9,wherein said spindle has a longitudinal axis, said base being providedwith a plurality of outlet connection pieces which are arranged on acircle concentric to said longitudinal axis of said spindle.
 11. Aspindle press as defined in claim 9, and further comprising a coverwhich seals said ring at its top and has at least one opening; a lockarranged to close each said opening of said cover and provided with alabyrinth gap seal.
 12. A vertical spindle press for pressing out fluidfrom a material, such as sugar beet pulp, comprising a housing having aspray casing and a screen casing which is arranged within said spraycasing so as to form an annular space therebetween; dewatering meansconnected with said annular space between said casings; a hollow spindlerotatable in said housing, forming with said screen casing an outletannular gap for pressed material and being provided with a plurality ofworm wings which extend outwardly substantially in contact with saidscreen casing, said hollow spindle having perforations for pressed outfluid and an interior space communicating with said dewatering means;filling means for feeding a material to be pressed into said housing;and a drive for driving said spindle in rotation and including drivemeans and a drive pipe which is driven by said drive means and drivessaid spindle from below, said drive pipe including an upper pipe memberand a lower pipe member which are connected with one another and can betelescoped one inside the other and a coupling for connecting said upperpipe member and said lower pipe member with one another, said spindlehaving a longitudinal axis and a base, said dewatering means includingan annular plate located below said base and radially outside said drivepipe, and a plurality of annular walls arranged at a distance from oneanother concentrically with said longitudinal axis and tightly connectedwith said annular plate, said spindle having a side wall, said basehaving a plurality of outlet connection pieces and together with saidside wall defining a first annular duct, said annular walls including afirst annular wall and a second annular wall which extend until thevicinity of said base and define a second annular duct between them andreceive a lower end of said outlet connection pieces between them, saidannular walls including a third annular wall which extends in acircumferential contact with said screen casing, and a fourth annularwall which extends in a close circumferential contact with said spraycasing so that a third annular duct is defined between said third andfourth annular walls.
 13. A spindle press as defined in claim 12, andfurther comprising at least one outlet opening for pressed out fluidprovided between said first annular wall and said second annular wall,and at least one outlet opening provided between said third annular walland said fourth annular wall.
 14. A spindle press as defined in claim 13and further comprising at least one collecting pipe located below saidannular plate, and an intermediate connection piece connecting each saidcollecting pipe with a respective one of said outlet openings.
 15. Aspindle press as defined in claim 12 and further comprising means foremergency dewatering and including at least one line having one endwhich is open in a downward direction and another end which opens fromabove into each of said second and third annular ducts.
 16. A spindlepress as defined in claim 12 wherein said second annular wall and saidthird annular wall define a fourth annular duct therebetween forreceiving pressed pulp; and further comprising at least one clearingwing which is fastened to said spindle and revolves in said fourthannular duct, said annular plate being provided in the region of saidfourth annular duct with at least one outage opening for the pressedpulp; and a conveying device into which said outage opening opens.
 17. Aspindle press as defined in claim 12, wherein said spindle has an upperend area; and further comprising a fifth annular wall which encloses ata radial distance said upper end area of said spindle and defines withsaid screen casing an annular space for receiving the material to bepressed; an annular seal provided between said spindle and said fifthannular wall and means for tightly closing an upper end of said annularspace.
 18. A spindle press as defined in claim 17; and furthercomprising outer web plates fastening said fifth annular wall to saidscreen casing, said means for tightly closing said upper end of saidannular space including an annular plate.